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YEAR OF THE ROOSTER – 4 VIDEOS TO BRING IN THE CHINESE NEW YEAR

by Brian McKay26/01/2017

With Saturday 28th January bringing in the year of the Rooster in the Chinese calendar, we take a look back at our top four videos from last year that successfully used the celebration in their marketing campaigns.

Ikea

Ikea have combined a theme that is the cornerstone of the celebrations for the Chinese New Year, family reunions, with another mainstay of Chinese culture – martial art films.

Using filming and editing techniques traditionally found in the hugely popular action films, not just in China but also globally, we are presented not with the likes of Bruce Lee, but rather with a mother and daughter in combat as they prepare the celebratory feast. However, instead of hands and feet flying through the air, the shots focus on pots and pans. We love the pace and energy of this offering, all served up in 30-seconds.

StarHub

StarHub, a communications company based in Singapore, use humour to put their product at the heart of this advert.Focusing on a young man taking his new girlfriend home for the first time, there is a delightful twist in the story as, after he introduces her to his relatives.

This longer form video (5mins) from Petronas, tells a touching story of a boy, his mother and their relationship.Using the classic three-act storytelling structure to great effect, we open with the boy being slapped by his mother. Once introduced to the characters we glimpse into their world- a hardworking mother and our young protagonist being bullied at school.

The turning point in the film is where where the boy and mother have an argument over being poor,it is this dramatic climax that then propels the story forward leaving us, the audience needing to know the conclusion… we won’t spoil it.

This exceptionally strong story scripting and cinematic approach employed by Petronas, an oil and gas company, creates a genuine and empathetic dialogue with the viewers, while reinforcing the company’s values.

PepsiCo

Based on real life events, it follows the story of the ‘6th Little Master’. PepsiCo cleverly approached the story, and the celebration, to include the culturally significant Monkey King and the Chinese New Year to communicate with it’s target demographic which is predominately teenager/ early 20s.

After witnessing the difficult journey experienced by the young 6th Little Master in becoming the Monkey King, shown in dramatised flashbacks – which are factually true – we arrive at the current day, seeing the actual Monkey King watching his life played out on the big screen.The surrounding audience applaud his achievements and one member, a young teenage boy, stands up declaring whilst holding a can of Pepsi ‘6th Little Master, you ARE the Monkey King! Here’s wishing you a hundred moments of happiness’. The Monkey King responds with ‘Thank you everybody, now it’s up to your generation.’

A huge PepsiCo win with this considered and well produced advert that combined the brand’s message with the cultural history of its consumers.

The director of the film, Andrew Lok, explains why they used The Monkey King; “2016 is the Year of the Monkey. So there will no doubt be a bevy of marketing campaigns showcasing the Monkey King or ‘Journey to the West.’ How can PepsiCo’s ‘Bring Happiness Home’ celebrate the Monkey King, this mythological simian symbol of irreverence and fun (personality traits rarely found in the heroes of traditional Chinese literature), in a very PepsiCo manner? Believe it or not, it was easy. Because the core values of Pepsi-Cola, youth and irreverence, are the very qualities the Monkey King naturally embodies.”

SUMMARY

Each brand featured has identified something intrinsically linked to the celebration of the Chinese New Year. From family to communication to love to traditions, each video has taken one value and expanded it. They’ve done this in a variety of ways that help to engage with the viewers but all the time ensuring they remain true to the principles that underpin this holiday period.

We are particularly keen to see what fantastic videos the year of the Rooster ushers in and wish all our clients, friends and colleagues 新年快乐 (Happy New Year), 平安康泰 (peace and health), 鸿图大展 (prosperity)

If you want to know more about video marketing, and how we can create a brand story for you then please get in touch – just click the button below.